Convolution
by Bugsie70
Summary: Thane and Zaeed meet on the Normandy, for the first time so Zaeed recalls.  However, Thane has a different story on their first meeting.  Story submitted for the Mass Effect fic-a-thon on Live Journal.


Okay this is for the fic-a-thon over at Live Journal.

I only got the prompt a couple of days ago as I had put my name down as a back up writer and this what I came up with. I hope silentstephi likes this. Cos she is awesome and she deserves nice things.

I picked the easiest prompt, I would have chosen a harder one but I probably would have needed more time.

Prompt: There's a few characters that have the possibility of crossing paths pre-game timeline. Samara's already proven that with her crossing Nihlus... maybe a story about Thane, pre-ME2, fulfilling a contract on a Blue Sun's Merc when Zaeed was still part of the gang.

Thanks to Sialater for having a quick look over this for me and for Jane (Coombsi) for her advice on the piece.

**

* * *

**

**2185**

_Lying in wait._

_Shadows hide my presence._

_I smell the sickly scent of alcohol as they pass._

_They fail to see me._

"Thane." Shepard's deep, resonant voice hits me, driving me from the memory of the face I see across the room.

I blink and turn to him. "Shepard."

"Thane, come and meet some more of the crew."

"As you wish, Shepard," I reply.

Shepard motions me towards the mess where several of the crew are seated.

"Thane, this is Garrus and Tali, they are old crewmates of mine. They were with me when we brought down Saren."

I nod politely.

"This is Kasumi."

Again, I nod.

"This is Zaeed."

_I follow quietly_

_Now, I smell the sweat from the drunken man's brow_

_And a vague, cheap perfume assaults my nostrils_

_He laughs an easy laugh._

He shoves his hand towards me. I look down at it, then recognise the gesture as distinctly human and take his hand in mine.

"Zaeed." I say curtly.

He turns to Shepard, "An assassin drell, Shepard?"

"I am, indeed."

Zaeed turns back to face me, a faint hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. "Well, I haven't come across many of those before. Drell that is. Plenty of assassins." He squints at me and continues, "Although, I do..."

His voice trails off and his eyes move up and to the right as if he is recalling something.

I study his face more, trying to read him. _Can he recall?_ His scarred face is strained but there is no hint of recognition. He doesn't remember.

I do.

**2165**

The man I see is clean shaven, fair, and with a swagger reserved for those of his species in their youth. He is likely the same age, but emotionally, mentally, I doubt that he is even close to that of a mere drell child in maturity.

I seat myself at the bar, and as the bartender approaches me I glance briefly at the group. There are five of them. Some still in their armour. They are drinking heavily and are oblivious to all except the asari dancer next to them.

The other man, the same age, darker, swarthy, he and the fair man have their arms around one another. Not like lovers, like comrades. But I sense an unspoken rift. The way the darker man laughs.

The other three men, all human, are inconsequential. I wait. The one I want is not here. Yet. But I am patient. Very patient.

"So, hun, can I get those beautiful soulful eyes of yours a drink? Mmm?" the asari bartender eyes me intently.

I smile and say yes before my attention is drawn to the sixth human who now enters the bar. He is very tall, 6 foot 6 at least and his build shows someone who is good at hand to hand fighting. He is older, tanned and with a faint beard.

He is the one I am here to kill.

**2185**

As I take a seat at the mess table with the others, the general conversation with the group continues. Tali and Garrus are arguing, it looks like familiar banter. I note that it is not in anger. Shepard chats with Kasumi, but I observe he constantly glances toward the quarian. Although you cannot see her face, her hand movements are fluid, lithe and lyrical. Shepard seems mesmerized.

"So, tell me Thane, ever kill any Blue Suns?" Zaeed looks to me, still no recognition on his face.

"I have, yes." I am unable to lie.

"Mmmph. Not the right ones obviously. Could have used you on a number of occasions. Pity I didn't know you way back when."

"My services were not always for hire." I shift uneasily in my seat, aware of the others taking interest in our conversation.

Kasumi interjects. "Why would the Blue Suns need an assassin, Zaeed? I mean, you were all skilled mercenaries."

"Clumsy ones when it came to being stealthy. Guns blazing, yes, Sneak up behind them, no. That wasn't the Suns' style. Still isn't the Suns' style."

Zaeed looks to me again, a questioning look on his face.

"Zaeed, you seem as though you wish to ask me something."

"You know, I do recall meeting a drell many years ago who looked a lot like you, Thane."

"Do tell."

He laughs, that easy laugh.

**2165**

I sit quietly at the bar sipping my drink. The fair man stumbles towards me and loudly accosts the bartender. "We need more of that fine ale, my lass!" He then turns to me, narrowing his eyes. "What the hell are you?"

The asari bartender is annoyed. "Leave the damned customers alone, Zaeed. Otherwise, I'll kick you and your lousy cheap mercs outta here."

He puts on cheeky grin, "Oh, my lovely one, you'd never do that."

"Watch me." She scowls at him.

"I'm terribly sorry," he drunkenly says to me. "But the missus here has me by the balls, and it seems I've been rude." He gives me a salute.

The asari bartender passes him a bottle and shakes her head at him. He blows her a mock kiss and returns to his table.

"I'm really sorry about that," the asari bartender says to me.

"There is no need to be sorry, but thank you anyway."

My head turns back to the table. The noise is louder now. As I glance over, I see one of them toss a credit chit towards the asari dancer. She smiles and strides over to the man called Zaeed and sits in his lap.

He doesn't notice but I see a knowing exchange between the swarthy man and my target. They appear not to be anywhere near as drunk as the others.

**2185**

"Well let me see... I was drunk in a bar I think. It was... well... things..." his voice trails off again and he scratches his head. "No, wait it couldn't have been that night..."

I bring my fingers together in a peak and look at him expectantly.

"No, that's not right. Anyhow I met this other drell once, He didn't look like you. He was sorta mottled darker green colour. Anyway silly git got himself into a bit of bother. He was supposed to be delivering...," he stops as Kasumi stands to leave.

"Excuse me. I have, er um, some things to take care of."

I nod and Zaeed gives a small smile. I notice that several of the others rise to leave, Tali and Garrus stand and both head towards the elevator nodding goodbye as well. "Well, I'll leave you two to get better acquainted, shall I?" Shepard says as he too also rises. Again his eyes follow the quarian.

"You're not going too are you?" Zaeed asks.

"Oh, no. I am quite interested in hearing your tale," I say as I shake my head.

He smiles. "You know, I get this eerie feeling about you, but I can't put my finger on it," he says.

I stay seated. Intrigued by the man before me as he wracks his brain for an answer. It has been a long time.

**2165**

There is only two of them now. My target and the drunken Zaeed. The others have left. But not before I notice that the swarthy man has words with my target. It is whispered but I catch snippets "... on the docks... yes... get rid of the body quickly..."

I follow them out of the bar. I move stealthy, even though my target is not drunk like his companion, he does not see me. They head towards the docking bays. It is a long walk and hindered by the drunken, staggering Zaeed

It is late when they finally arrive and they move into the warehouse. Within minutes I hear shouting, a fight appears to be in progress. As I move closer I see the swarthy man has returned. Zaeed, unable to stand, is being held tightly by my target and is being repeatedly punched by the swarthy man. Blood pours from his face. He is unable to respond to the beating, too drunk to resist. I watch intently as the insults fly between them.

"You're nothin' but trouble. We don't want you here so you have a choice. You leave. Or we kill you." The swarthy man's voice is no longer friendly and he punches Zaeed again.

"Wha... you bastard, Vido. At least fight me fair." He struggles against the more formidable form of my target.

"Leave and there won't need to be a fight," Vido says.

"If you think I'm going to go without one," Zaeed spits blood out of his mouth as he speaks, "Then you're very much mistaken."

Vido emits an audible sigh and brings out a pistol. He fires it into the head of Zaeed.

**2185**

"Anyway, where was I?"

"I think you were telling me about another drell you met."

"Oh yes. That. Anyway, yeah he was supposed to deliver some weaponry for the Eclipse Sisters on Illium. The stupid bugger thought he'd take a few for himself."

"Surely the Eclipse Sisters can look after that sort of thing themselves."

"You'd think that yeah, but although this drell wasn't an assassin, he was a slippery SOB. They couldn't find him. I could." The swagger in Zaeed's voice was unmistakable and I try not to let my smirk show.

"They hired me to have a look into it, they were deep in shit with another problem and needed it solved."

"And did you find him?"

"Bloody idiot had already sold the weapons by the time I got hold of him. But he paid the Sisters back. He couldn't walk for a little while, and I doubt he has any children as a consequence."

"You didn't kill him then?

"Not worth the bullets. Daft bugger had started spending it, gambling on the Illium stockmarket."

"Then he was truly lucky." Not so for all in those circumstances.

**2165**

"That's one problem solved today. Stupid fucker." Vido says as he kicks Zaeed in the side.

He gestures for my target to deal with the body and then leaves.

My target is alone, aside from the drunken dead man at his feet.

I circle around he warehouse as he begins to drag Zaeed's form by the arms.

He does not see me drop from the shadows. Before he is aware, his head is between my hands and I twist. There is the sharp, violent snap of vertebrae and my target falls to the floor, minor convulsions wrack his now prostate form. I look to the other dead man, blood oozes from the wounds on his face making the faintest of gurgling sounds.

I leave. My job is complete.

**2185**

"Yes, I guess so. As I said, just a stupid bugger. Wont try stealing from the Sisters again."

"You could say that he learned a lesson then."

"Maybe," Zaeed snorted. "But unlikely. I know these types, always greedy for more. Greed is the downfall of many things."

"You are correct. This has also been my observation," I say.

"Betrayal, yes greed... can ruin many friendships." I notice he stares off into space, once again looking as though he recalls something.

We sit in silence for a minute before he shifts uneasily in his seat. I notice he has narrowed his eyes and is staring at me.

"I just can't shake this feeling I have about you. Maybe I need to sleep on it, I've been up 36 hours. You don't ever recall meeting me perhaps?"

I hesitate before answering, he senses this and I observe him bristle. He doesn't know enough about drell to know of our eidetic memory. Today is not the day I will enlighten him.

"Not at the moment, It may come to me, as it may come to you." I lie to him.

"Mmmm, yes, maybe. My memory fails me at times." He runs a hand down the scar on his face. "One day I may tell you why." He gets up to leave, nodding curtly before departing.

"As I may one day tell you," I say quietly.


End file.
